This invention relates to a composite spacer and sealant which can be used particularly in the fabrication of thermal insulating laminates such as windows.
In general, the procedure for assembling an insulated window assembly involves placing one sheet of a glazed structure over another in a fixed, spaced relationship, and then injecting a sealant composition into the space between the two glazed structures, at and along the periphery of the two structures, thereby forming a sandwich-type structure having a sealed air pocket between the structures. In practice, glazed structures are typically glass sheets, but can also be plastic or other such suitable materials. To keep the glazed structures properly spaced apart, a spacer bar is often inserted between the two structures to maintain proper spacing while the sealant composition is injected into place. Also, the spacer bar and sealant can be prefabricated into a solitary unit and after fabrication placed into the space between the glazed structures to form the window structure.
Moisture and organic materials are often trapped inside the sealed air space as a result of the window assembly fabrication process. To minimize the effects of moisture and organic materials trapped in the sealed air pocket, desiccants can be used as a medium to absorb these artifacts. Typically, however, at least some moisture will diffuse into the sealed air pocket during the time the window assembly is in field service. This use of desiccants keeps moisture concentration low and thus prevents the moisture from condensing on and fogging interior surface of the glass sheets when the window assembly is in service. Desiccants can be incorporated into the spacer, into the sealant or into the entire sealant/spacer when the sealant/spacer assembly is a solitary component. Additional desiccant above the amount required to absorb the initial moisture content is included in the spacer/sealant assembly in order to absorb additional moisture entering the window assembly over its service life.
Various prior art practices for manufacturing windows are cumbersome, labor intensive or require expensive equipment. An answer to the previously discussed limitations is provided by U.S. Pat. No. 4,431,691, to Greenlee, in which a sealant and spacer strip having a folded or contoured spacer means to maintain the relative distance under compression of glass sheets, wherein the strip comprises a folded or contoured spacer means embedded or enveloped in a deformable sealant. This spacer strip has the advantage of being flexible along its longitudinal axis to enable it to be coiled for storage. The Greenlee assembly is thus a solitary component in which the sealant contains the desiccant.
Greenlee""s assembly, while addressing previous limitations does not provide a flat sight line once the glass unit is constructed due to undulations in the spacer after the glazed structure are compressed into place. The sightline in a window is the portion of the spacer/sealant assembly that is viewed through the glass sheets, but is not in contact with these sheets. This flat sightline is desirable to improve aesthetic qualities of installed windows. Also, the Greenlee teaching uses high amounts of sealant material required to envelope the spacer and the folded assembly can be stretched during application as well as along its longitudinal axis. This stretching can also lead to problems in maintaining a flat sightline.
To resolve some of Greenlee""s shortcomings, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/585,822 (abandoned), filed in the PCT as PCT/US97/00258 and published as WO97/26434 (abandoned) shows use of a continuous flexible spacer assembly having a shim connected to stiffener resulting in a longitudinal flexible spacer strip. The spacer assembly has a so-called xe2x80x9copen cellxe2x80x9d construction. While this construction solves some of Greenlee""s problems associated with the sightline, the open cell construction does not provide adequate support to the sealant when in contact with the glass sheets. Accordingly, this shim/stiffener construction is not suitable for maintaining a sealed window assembly over extended periods because the spacer/member bond, i.e. the bondline, tends to lose adhesion and become unsealed.
There remains a need for an improved flexible continuous spacer assembly that eliminates longitudinal stretching and, accordingly, makes it easier to consistently produce a window having a smooth sightline. Moreover, it would be desirable if such assembly allowed for a sharper radius when bending the sealant and spacer at the corners as compared to the prior art. Also, a need exists for improved lateral stability of the strip, while providing a more cost-effective product having the benefits of the Greenlee construction and other prior art. Finally, the assembly would provide the required support to maintain the adhesive seal between the spacer assembly and the glazed structures over the life of the window unit.
Thus, the sealant and spacer strip of the present invention provides the advantages over the prior art of eliminating the amount of necessary sealant material while maintaining the performance of the sealant and spacer strip; eliminating the tendency of the material to stretch along its longitudinal axis; improving the appearance of the sightline of the window; improving the durability of the bondline and providing the necessary ability to form sharper corners.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an improved, longitudinally flexible, but laterally stable sealant and spacer assembly for application in the assembly of multiple glazed structures as well as for other laminates which can be coiled for storage and easier application.
In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a flexible, crush-resistant sealant and spacer strip or composite tape structure comprising a longitudinally extending spacer, including an undulating strip of rigid material, a longitudinally coextending planar strip of a stiffener material and a longitudinally coextending sealant support member which is joined to the edges of the undulating strip and stiffener material. A deformable adhesive sealant is also included which seals the stiffener, shim and sealant support member to the glass sheets. The spacer is capable of resisting compressive forces exerted in a direction normal to a plane in which the longitudinal axis of the spacer lies, is in cooperation with the stiffener and maintains the ability to be coiled for storage.